It looks like Paul Stastny‘s agent, Matt Keator, wants to wait until the closer to the eleventh hour before the unrestricted free agent period before beginning contract negotiations with the Colorado Avalanche, according to the Denver Post. The talks between the two parties consequently aren’t expected to start until June 20th.

Waiting that long might be even more tactically advantageous for Stastny now as it would have been in the past because while the free agent period doesn’t start until July 1, he can begin interviewing with other teams on June 25, thanks to the new CBA.

The 28-year-old center is coming off of a five-year, $33 million contract. When he signed it, he looked like he might develop into a point-per-game player. He surpassed the 70-point mark for the third time in four campaigns in the first year of the deal, but he hasn’t come close to that milestone since. Over the past four seasons, the best he’s done offensively was in 2013-14 when he scored 25 goals and 60 points in 71 contests.

He is still clearly a valuable top-six forward, but perhaps not an ideal fit for the Avalanche anymore as they’re already loaded up the middle with Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, and Ryan O’Reilly all capable of serving as centers. The Avalanche shifted MacKinnon and O’Reilly to the wing last season to make their lines work.

That being said, if Stastny does end up testing the free agent waters, there’s sure to be plenty of demand for his services.